Google recently added a side panel to its Chrome browser. The newly added side panel is a combination of Reading List and Bookmarks section. If you're not interested in using the new bookmarks sidebar in Chrome, you have the option to remove it. In this article, we have detailed the steps to disable the side panel in Google Chrome.
Disable Google Chrome Bookmarks Side Panel (2022)
Google does not allow you to disable the new side panel directly from the settings menu. However, there is a neat workaround which is to use a Chrome feature flag to remove the side panel. We tested this method in Chrome version 99.0.4844.84 in the stable channel. Therefore, follow the steps below to get rid of the Chrome side panel.
1. Open Google Chrome and visit chrome://flags in the browser. When Chrome's indicators page appears, type "side panel" in the search field.
2. Click the drop-down menu next to the "Side Panel" feature flag and choose "Disabled" .
3. Chrome will now ask you to restart the browser. Click the "Relaunch" button in the lower right corner of the screen to reopen Chrome. And that's all. You will no longer see the side panel after restarting the browser.
Remove Side Panel from Google Chrome
This brings us to the end of our guide on removing the side panel from Chrome. It's worth mentioning that you can still access your bookmarks from the browser's three-dot vertical menu. For more such tips, be sure to read our article on the best Chrome tips and tricks you should be using.